Convoy (Blu-ray)
When considering Sam Peckinpah’s resume, Convoy is an odd entry. Known for his innovative and explicit approach to violence particularly in the Western genre, Convoy deals with a group of struggling truckers. However, by the time 1977 rolled around, Peckinpah was struggling as much as anyone. He had such a reputation as a troublemaker and […]
John Cassavetes: Five Films (Blu-ray)
John Cassavetes is considered by many the “father of American independent cinema.” Like any moniker, this can be debated, but Cassavetes was unquestionably nonconformist; an actor/writer/director that openly railed against set scripts, fancy crews and the Hollywood “star system.” His concern was exploring what people think and feel, through fierce introspection. Criterion has brought John […]
Blu-ray Review: Dick Tracy
Scripted by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. and directed by Warren Beatty, Dick Tracy got a lot of press prior to its 1990 release for its dynamic approach to filmmaking. The special effects were mind-boggling for the time and the make-up, very impressive. Dick Tracy was expected to be a real blockbuster, but Disney […]
Blu-ray Review: Honeymoon in Vegas
While Honeymoon in Vegas is far from structural perfection, it’s quite funny (especially if you’re an Elvis Presley fan). With a wonderfully bizarre Nicolas Cage kvetching his way through the story, Honeymoon doesn’t pretend to be anything other than the goofy piece of fun it is. Writer/director Andrew Bergman (Fletch, The Freshman), whom New York […]
Blu-ray Review: 61*
In the spring of 1961, major league baseball was changing. The American League had expanded its ranks by two teams (the Los Angeles Angels and the second incarnation of the Washington Senators), and the 154-game baseball season had been extended by eight games. As a result, Babe Ruth’s 1927 single-season home run record–a since-shattered sixty–seemed […]